This invention relates generally to a carburetor fuel bowl. More particularly, the invention relates to a carburetor fuel bowl which has increased fuel carrying capacity such that additional fuel can be contained therein.
Modern carburetors normally include fuel bowls that serve as local reservoirs for fuel that is supplied into the barrels of the carburetor and ultimately into the cylinders of a combustion engine. Before passing into the barrels of the carburetor, the fuel usually passes through fuel metering blocks which pre-emulsify the fuel for later atomization within the carburetor barrels. Typically, fuel is passed from the fuel bowl to the metering block through inlet jets which normally are located adjacent the bottom edge of the metering block.
In high performance applications, it normally is advantageous to increase the capacity of the fuel bowl for several reasons. First, during hard acceleration the vehicle fuel pump temporarily may be unable to supply fuel to the fuel bowl. Second, racing rules and regulations sometimes place limitations on the delivery capacity of fuel pumps that can be used by participants in particular races. Third, alternative fuels such as alcohol are consumed at increased rates that require increased holding capacity from the fuel bowls.
Currently, high capacity fuel bowls come in one of two forms. In the first known form, the fuel bowl has an oversized construction in which the length of the fuel bowl is increased so as to increase an inner volume of the fuel bowl. In the second known form, fuel bowl extensions are used in conjunction with standard sized fuel bowls to likewise increase the inner volume available for fuel storage. Although satisfying the need for increased fuel carrying capacity, known large volume fuel bowls can create problems for the user. As a first matter, the increased size of these fuel bowls causes the carburetor to extend beyond the standard accepted envelope normally provided for carburetors in engine compartments. Because of this fact, carburetors having oversized fuel bowls or fuel bowl extensions often interfere with other engine components such as air cleaners and distributors.
In addition to these component crowding difficulties, conventional high capacity fuel bowls further present problems associated with fuel uptake. As is known in the art, linear and/or lateral acceleration of a vehicle can cause the fuel within the carburetor fuel bowls to shift opposite to the direction of the acceleration. In the case of linear acceleration, this shifting of the fuel volume can have detrimental effects on the supply of fuel on both the front and rear fuel bowls. This form of acceleration forces the fuel in each fuel bowl rearwardly. Inside the rear fuel bowl, this rearward migration of the fuel can uncover the inlet jets of the fuel bowl""s adjacent metering block, causing a temporary loss of fuel supply from the rear side of the carburetor. In the front fuel bowl, the rearward migration of the fuel can cause the fuel to uncontrollably flow into the front carburetor barrels, choking the engine with an unduly rich supply of fuel. In the case of lateral acceleration, large capacity fuel bowls can cause the supply of fuel from both of the fuel bowls to be temporarily lost. In oval track racing, for example, the acceleration forces exerted on the vehicle during the left-hand turns can cause the fuel in each fuel bowl to migrate to the right side of the bowl, to uncover the inlet jets.
From the above, it can be understood that it would be desirable to have a high. capacity fuel bowl that does not extend beyond the standard accepted envelope and which further prevents the above described difficulties associated with fuel migration in response to vehicle acceleration.